Clean Air

CLEAN AIR FOR MAINE

Maine's air quality has improved greatly over the last couple of generations, but our air quality still presents health risks for Maine families, especially the thousands who suffer from asthma and other respiratory diseases. Unfortunately, Maine has one of the highest rates of asthma in the country.  

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, in 2008, an estimated 107,556 adults in Maine had asthma. Adult lifetime asthma prevalence was 15.7% and adult current asthma prevalence was 10.3% compared with U.S. rates of 13.3% and 8.5%, respectively. In 2008, an estimated 25,629 children in Maine had asthma. Child lifetime asthma prevalence was 13.9% and child current asthma prevalence was 9.4% compared with the 38 participating states’ rates of 13.3% and 9.0%, respectively.

According to American Lung Association’s 2014 State of the Air report, poor air quality puts the following number of Mainers at risk:

  • 25,342 children with asthma
  • 118,093 adults with asthma
  • 83,037 COPD sufferers
  • 99,945 people with cardiovascular disease
  • 102,864 with diabetes
  • 265,918 children and teens
  • 226,376 older adults

ALA also says that York and Hancock Counties have the worst smog problems in the state (see ALA report for data breakdown by county). 

TAKE ACTION

To protect public health, Sierra Club advocates for stronger national and state air quality pollution standards, car fuel economy standards, electric vehicles, public transportation choices, and smart growth land use planning to reduce sprawl.   

We are working with and supporting the Town of Eliot in their effort to clean up the dirty coal-burning Schiller Station power plant in Portsmouth, NH.  In June 2013, voters in the the Town of Eliot passed by a 2 to 1 margin an ordinance to send a "Good Neighbor" Clean Air Act petition to the U.S. EPA, asking the agency to investigate the plant's sulfur dioxide pollution and to work with the power plant to clean up its act. 

We also support sensible and practical local No-Idling campaigns to reduce air pollution.  Freeport, for example, established a no-idling zone around schools, and Bar Harbor and Portland have passed anti-idling ordinances.  Idling a medium-duty gasoline vehicle for five minutes each day can emit as much as 30 pounds of harmful pollutants and 300 pounds of carbon dioxide in a year.  Contact us if you are interested in launching a No-Idling Campaign in your community.

LEARN MORE

"Stricter smog pollution limits would help Maine."  Portland Press Herald, November 11, 2014.